Melbourne Cup Part 2

Photos of the day (click here) So more about Melbourne Cup. It's been an Aussie tradition since 1861 or something like that. We decided it's pretty much the equivalent of Super Bowl except it is always on a Tuesday. You'd think they'd have planned that part of the event a bit better because especially here on the west coast, it means that all work stops by about 11AM for the festivities, and offices everywhere empty as their staff heads to the nearest bar or betting shop to whoop it up. The other thing about Melbourne Cup is that it is a dress up occasion for both women and men. We were dolled up for the race but I was thrilled to see how gorgeous the men looked too. My pal Robbie and I joined a group of ladies who have been celebrating Melbourne Cup together for 20 years. They have identical dresses made and are a fixture for the celebrants at the Ruby Room at the Burswood Casino complex. Robbie and I had quite a time finding coordinating dresses, shoes, and jewelry - we ended up finding our pashminas and bling in Hong Kong at the Peak tram terminal of all places. The day started at 9:45 AM - which meant up and primping by crack o'dawn. We arrived and were photographed endlessly, placed our bets, and went into the gorgeous ballroom to mingle with the beautiful people of Perth :-) Champagne started promptly at 10AM, dancing to a live band started at 11AM, and the race went off at noon. Robbie and I both backed the winner - Shocked - and most happily collected our winnings. After lunch there was a fashion show, then more dancing till 3PM. We'd booked the Hummerzine for 3:30 as a break and photo op. I confess the excess of a Hummerzine is not exactly my style but it sure was fun! We headed up to Kings Park for photos (we learned later that some of our business associates actually spotted us up there!) and enjoyed just driving around and about for an hour or so. Back at the Burswood we made the rounds of all the bars, danced some more, and finally met up with spouses for dinner at 7PM. I was done by 10PM (13 hours of partying will make your toes ache) so Mike got me home and poured me into bed. Robbie went on to the casino and won $1500 so apparently it was a lucky day and I should have stuck with her! Thankfully I don't work on Wednesdays - I was a somewhat delicate flower all day. It was a blast and if called to attend next year, I expect I'll answer the call!